Business & climate are no longer an either-or choice, says Philippe Varin

'Over the next 30 years, we're expected to extract as many resources from the planet as we have since the beginning of human civilisation'

Philippe Varin, chair of the International Chamber of Commerce, which represents over 45 million companies in 170 countries, is on an India visit while COP29 is underway. In a one-on-one interview in New Delhi, he tells Veenu Sandhu that any investment today must factor in sustainability from the very beginning, and explains why green trade finance is critical. Edited excerpts:

 

How do you assess the current global trade environment, especially in the context of rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions?

 

To address this, we need to consider both the short-term and medium-term perspectives. In the short term, trade and global GDP